If the next Conservative Party of Canada leader doesn't maintain and build on the Mulroney-Harper legacy, he or she is doomed to failure
The Conservative leadership race was thrown for a loop last week. Businessman and media gadfly Kevin O’Leary unexpectedly dropped out and endorsed former cabinet minister Maxime Bernier. Truth be told, he abandoned his campaign for an odd reason: a lack of support in Quebec. The next federal election is two years away, which would have…
The free-for-all to choose the next Tory leader is a competition of political visions and brands – and mediocrity won’t be tolerated
When former prime minister Stephen Harper lost the 2015 federal election, and then stepped down as party leader, most political commentators expected a lively leadership race to choose his successor. They didn’t expect a packed house with little to no breathing room. Without searching the Internet or asking anyone, can you name all 14 candidates…
The influx of quality, affordable dairy products will force Canada’s dairy industry to redefine itself within a more competitive landscape
After meltdowns and temper tantrums, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) may finally be ratified. It's nothing short of a miracle and will bring about dramatic change in Canada. The path to a Canada-European Union trade deal has faced several roadblocks in recent months. CETA was initially about growth and prosperity, and how to facilitate more…
Canada, which never looked stronger than under the Harper Tories, looks much weaker under the Trudeau Liberals
Dear Justin, Hope that you’re having a nice summer with Sophie and the kids. I’m sure that heeding the advice of a longtime conservative columnist, political pundit and speechwriter to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper isn’t at the top of your list. Even so, I hope you’ll give some consideration to the free advice I’m about…
Harper never wanted to accept being second-best in any capacity, and that went double for our nation
When Stephen Harper resigned his seat in the House of Commons last Friday, it was seen as the end of an era. I readily concur. My history with the former Prime Minister goes back much further than my tenure as one of his speechwriters. We first met in December 1996. He was a first-term Reform…
And so it ends, not with a bang, but a whimper. Late last week, in a secluded part of Centre Block, staff were seen packing up Stephen Harper’s Parliamentary office. Anyone wandering by could see the moving boxes and the packing tape, in plain view. Harper, the 22nd prime minister of Canada, had cast his…
Despite the hype, Canadian conservatism will recover
Politics, by nature, is a system of ebbs and flows. Ideological positions pass in and out of vogue with the electorate. Support for certain policy positions, including the size of government, taxes, funding of social services and international affairs, swings frequently on the left-right pendulum. Political parties and leaders are called triumphant warriors in one…
Fear and loathing of Harper trumped fear of leaving the country hostage to profound inexperience
Last week, several colleagues at the University undertook a post mortem of the federal election. Two of our recent PhD graduates, David Coletto (2010), now CEO of Abacus Data, and Paul Fairie (2013), a principal with Centrality Data Science, provided a fine-grained analysis of what had been a two-part campaign. Part one, Canadians decided that…
He also provided a clear reminder that the price of democracy is eternal vigilance
The predictable post-election criticism of Stephen Harper — even from within his Conservative caucus — fails to acknowledge that we have much to thank the soon-to-be former prime minister for. Yes, losing the Oct. 19 federal election should rest on the shoulders of Harper and a decade of government decisions. But many Canadians are thankful for the outcome,…
Harper joins the long list of Canadian politicians who stayed too long and pushed their luck too far
When we left the country to go travelling at the end of September, I expected the Conservatives to win a slim minority and defer parliament’s reconvening to early January, at which point the opposition would combine forces to bring the government down. Then, unable to command the confidence of the House, Stephen Harper would ask…
The Conservative leadership race was thrown for a loop last week. Businessman and media gadfly Kevin O’Leary unexpectedly dropped out and endorsed former cabinet minister Maxime Bernier. Truth be told, he abandoned his campaign for an odd reason: a lack of support in Quebec. The next federal election is two years away, which would have…
